Wicked: For Good Review: Cynthia Erivo And Ariana Grande Fly High In A 'Good' Sequel

Musical theater is a live conversation with its audience; one where viewers arrive ready to suspend disbelief, accept songs as shorthand for exposition, and follow character arcs that can turn on a dime. Classic movie musicals once acknowledged this difference by preserving intermissions, both out of respect for their Broadway origins and to justify their expansive runtimes, but Jon M. Chu's cinematic adaptation of "Wicked" presented an even bigger challenge. The stage version already clocks in at nearly three hours, including intermission, motivating the decision to split the adaptation in two. It was a controversial call, but the right one, as a single feature would have had to sprint through material that needs room to land.

By dedicating a film to each act of the stage musical, Chu and screenwriters Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox give the story extra breathing room to strengthen Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera's evolution from rivals to close friends as Elphaba and Glinda, and ending "Wicked: Part One" with the righteous wailing of "Defying Gravity" felt satisfying, as the number was always built to be a seismic midpoint. But the totality of "Wicked" isn't just an Oz prequel; it's a story layered with political tension, social prejudice, and the mechanics of propaganda. Compressing all of that into one movie would have meant losing too much, but "Wicked: For Good" exposes an unfortunate truth that any Ozians have struggled to choke back like stale green elixir ... Act II of "Wicked: A New Musical" is significantly weaker than Act I.

Fortunately, with Chu in the director's chair and with a pitch-perfect cast that rivals the Original Broadway production from 2003, "Wicked: For Good" can be exactly that — good.

"Wicked: For Good" includes a time jump that doesn't allow for the emotional revelations of what's gone down in Oz since we last saw everyone to truly settle. Nessarose (Marissa Bode) is the new Eminence of Munchkinland following the death of her and Elphaba's father, but she's a tyrannical leader who makes decisions based on whether it will mandate that Boq (Ethan Slater) stay close to her or make her seem less like her sister, Elphaba. Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) is now the Captain of the Wizard's Guard in the quest to take down the so-called Wicked Witch of the West, while Glinda has been christened "Glinda the Good" and is a pretty, sparkly mouthpiece for Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) and the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) to spread propaganda.

Now that they're away from the washed-out eyesore of Shiz University, "Wicked: For Good" at least looks beautiful while everyone in Oz wants Elphaba dead. Elphie's been vilified, but she's still fighting the good fight to save the animals, clear her name, and enlighten everyone in Oz that the Wizard is nothing more than a carnie grifter. "Why do I love this place that's never loved me?" Elphaba sings in the new song "No Place Like Home" (written by Stephen Schwartz and Cynthia Erivo for the film). The film may be a clock tick too long, but the parallels between the Wizard's brand of brainwashing and what we're currently seeing play out in our own governments are often uncanny, which makes it frustrating when the film doesn't dive deeper than a wading pool.

Then again, that's the same issue I have with the stage musical, and this is a PG movie. It's on me to meet the film where it's at.

Chu and company clean up the mess of Act II by furthering the development of Glinda's story and understanding of her place in the propaganda machine, and make such a strong, welcome change to remedy the inherent ableism of Nessarose and Elphaba's reunion that I hope it becomes a standard change in future stage productions. The juxtaposed parallels between Elphaba and Glinda's stories are so much stronger here than they are on stage, but alas, no good deed goes unpunished.

The two new songs written by Stephen Schwartz (and coming to a Best Original Song Oscar ballot near you) give Erivo and Grande-Butera more time to shine, but the songs are just ... okay. "No Place Like Home" boasts the same hamfisted imagery found in Schwartz's other big hit, "Godspell," and only works because Erivo's performance commands that it does. Watching Erivo sing about how "Oz is more than just a place / It's a promise, an idea" while talking animals march toward a literal underground yellow brick railroad is potent, albeit obvious. "The Girl in the Bubble" essentially serves as Grande-Butera's Best Supporting Actress trailer, and anyone doubting her abilities as an actress can shut up forever, now. I don't think the film needed these additions, but I'm not mad about their inclusion.

As is the case with the stage show, "No Good Deed" and "For Good" are dazzling show-stoppers. Erivo arguably delivers the definitive vocal performance of Elphaba embracing her wickedness, and "For Good" had the waterworks overflowing before Gelphie started to harmonize. While nothing can ever transcend "Defying Gravity" in sheer force, both numbers brought the house down.

Oh, and if you aren't sold on Jonathan Bailey being selected as People's Sexiest Man Alive for 2025, the way he yearns while performing "As Long as You're Mine" will fix that for you.

The parallel between Elphaba and Glinda has always been the heart of "Wicked." Those who make mistakes and grow from them are frequently celebrated, while the quiet integrity of someone who has fought to do what's right from the very beginning is disregarded. We are inspired by redemption arcs, but can't relate to someone who resisted corruption, confronted oppression, and defended justice even while being demonized for it. It's easy to dismiss the Oz prequel musical as nothing more than a bloated blockbuster, but in its strongest moments, "Wicked" is a mirror held up to our society, revealing what and who we choose to value. It's as deep as you want it to be.

Elphaba asks Glinda to look not with her eyes, but with theirs, a way to teach her to understand that the court of public opinion doesn't actually care about what is "right" or "just." And to some extent, I think that's exactly the way that "Wicked: For Good" should be critiqued. Because it actually doesn't matter if I think the pacing is disjointed, or that the new songs are mediocre, or that the big announcement of Colman Domingo as voicing the Cowardly Lion was overblown (he barely speaks, we didn't need a press release on that).

Because when I sat in that theater and watched Erivo and Grande-Butera prove that bell hooks was right when she said that "deep, abiding friendships are the place where many women know lasting love," I stopped being a film critic and immediately regressed to the musical theater obsessed high schooler who sang "For Good," through tears with her best friend at our high school graduation ceremony. That is who "Wicked: For Good" is for, and based on the countless sobbing adults in my audience, I think it's safe to say it was for them too.

/Film Rating: 7 out of 10

"Wicked: For Good" opens in theaters on November 21, 2025.